Vacuum cleaner connector



March 31, 1964 Filed Feb. 27, 1961 C. E. EDWARDS VACUUM CLEANER CONNECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. CHARLES E. EDWARDS M Wow ATTORNEY March 31, 1964 c. E. EDWARDS 3,127,227

VACUUM CLEANER CONNECTOR Filed Feb. 27, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. CHARLES E. EDWARDS ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,127,227 Patented Mar. 31, 1964 3,127,227 VACUUM CLEANER QGNNECTQR Charles E. Edwards, Waynesviiie, N.C., assignor to ggyco Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Filed Feb. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 91,785 4- Claims. (Cl. 339-) This invention relates to a vacuum cleaner connector, and more specifically to an assembly for interconnecting a flexible hose to a vacuum cleaner at one end and to a wand or a cleaning tool at the other.

One common type of vacuum cleaner which is used for cleaning floors and other portions of the house is provided with a canister or container in which the motor and dust bag are mounted, to which is connected the cleaning portion of the device, such as the rug cleaner, crevice cleaners, and other cleaning tools. These tools are interconnected to the vacuum cleaner by means of a flexible hose or conduit which is coupled to the vacuum cleaner at one end, and a wand or a tool at the other. in certain of these vacuum cleaners the rug cleaning unit contains a cleaning brush which is powered by an electric motor that rotates this brush, and in such instances the electric motor is mounted within the rug cleaning tool itself. This is intended to provide a rug cleaning device which is similar in operation and results to the conventional upright vacuum cleaner.

In order to provide electric current to the motor mounted in the rug cleaning tool itself, it is necessary to bring the current-conducting wire from the canister to the motor in the tool. In the prior art this has been done by running a separate cord along the length of the flexible conduit and attached thereto. In such cases, however, the cord provides a restraining means which prevents complete flexibility of the conduit and thus is inimical to the original purpose for which the conduit is in tended. In addition, the cord tends to kink and bind and create other problems. This has been overcome by the development of a fiexible conduit in which the reinforcing wires are themselves the current-carrying media, these wires being in the form of reinforcing springs which are helical members extending throughout the length of the flexible conduit. When such a condiut is used it is neces sary to provide an interconnection from the conduit to the canister and power supply at one end, and to the cleaning tool or the wand at the other end. The present invention, therefore, relates to a connector which will perrnit such interconnection and which is readily releasable and attachable while at the same time avoiding unnecessary strain on the electrical connector and perfect safety from the standpoint of exposure to electric currents. This is provided by means of the present invention in which the connector consists of inner and outer sleeves made of non-conducting plastic material, these sleeves combining to jointly lock in place the actual electrical fitting. The invention further provides for the combination of a vacuum cleaner hose assembly including the hose, the coupling units, and the electrical connectors, whereby the strain is jointly absorbed by the inner and outer sleeves.

It is a primary object of this invention, therefore, to provide a vacuum cleaner hose assembly including a connector and electrical connection.

it is a further object of the invention to provide such assembly consisting of an inner and outer sleeve which jointly absorbs the strain on the electrical portion of the unit.

It is another object of the invention to provide a connector unit so designed that the vacuum and electrical components can be easily coupled.

t is another object of the invention to provide a connector combined of only three component members.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the entire vacuum cleaning apparatus and hose assembly together with the connectors.

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the components of a connector.

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the assembled connector and hose with parts broken away for purposes of clarity.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the assembled unit of \FEGURE 3.

5 is a sectional view of a portion of the assembly of iFiGURE 3 with parts omitted for clarity.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along lines 66 of FIGURE 5.

FlGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along lines 77 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 1 illustrates a vacuum cleaner and cleaning tool coupled by a hose assembly which is designated by reference numeral 11, consisting primarily of a flexible conduit 12. This conduit is not specifically described in this invention, as it is the subject of separate patent applications, but it should be noted that it consists of a pair of helically coiled reinforcing wires 13- and '14 which form two independent supporting members, the turns of which alternate longitudinally of the hose; these reinforcing members are surmounted by an outer tube 15 of flexible plastic material, such as vinyl or polyethylene. The wires themselves are metal and made to provide proper conduction for electrical current, then coated with a plastic material similar to that forming the outer tube. Attached to the ends of the conduit --12. are the connectors 16 and 17, the construction of which will be more fully discussed below. The connector 16 is designed for interengagement into the canister .18 of the vacuum cleaner, having a vacuum outlet 19 and an electrical fitting 20' having outwardly extending or male prongs. Thus the connector 16 may be attached to the canister so that the outlet 19 fits within the connector opening to provide continuity of the vacuum system. Electrical continuity is provided by means of a connector cord 21 having female end 22 which plugs into fitting 29 on the canister; and male end 23 which plugs into a female electrical fitting 24 on the connector.

At the opposite end of the hose assembly the connector 17 is similar to connector d6 except that it includes a male electrical fitting 26. This connector is designed to complete vacuum and electrical continuity with a wand or tool 27 and electric wire 28, to which is attached female fitting 29. The vacuum connection is provided by inserting the end of the wand 27 into the interior of the connector 17, the bead 3d of the wand providing a snap lock with groove 25 of the connector. The fittings 2% and 2d are joined to provide the electrical connection.

It is apparent that the hose assembly and its connectors provide both electrical and vacuum continuity from the source of vacuum and electrical power in the canister to the wand or cleaning tool. As previously described, the tool 27 is part of a rug cleaning member having a power driven brush mounted therein, this brush operated by electric current from a motor in the canister. The electrical circuit is completed from the motor to fitting 29, through connector cord 21, through wires 13 and 14 of the conduit, through fittings 26 and 29, and then from wire 2% to the cleaning tool motor (not shown). At the same time, vacuum is supplied from the canister 18 through outlet 19, the opening in the hose assembly 11, and the wand 27.

Turning now to FIGURES 2 to 7, it can be seen that the connector 17 which will be used by way of example herein, consists of simply three members; inner sleeve 31,

outer sleeve 32, and electrical fitting 33. The inner sleeve consists primarily of a hollow cylindrical member having on its surface a plurality of guide lugs 35 arranged in axial rows (preferably but not necessarily four rows spaced equally about the diameter of the sleeve). These lugs are axially spaced with a helical pitch of approximately /2 inch, thus providing guiding means for the conduit 12 when it is attached to the outer surface of the sleeve as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. The opposite end of the sleeve terminates in a collar 36 which extends outwardly of the outer surface of the sleeve. Axially spaced from this collar is a boss 37 in which is formed a pair of locking rings 38 and 39; the boss and rings thus provide locking members with the outer sleeve. In the inner surface of the sleeve located just inward of the collar 36 is an internal locking groove which provides for a locking arrangement with the mating member, such as the head of the cleaning tool or a similar bead on the canister. One portion of the outer surface of the sleeve adjacent the collar 36 is formed in the shape of an outwardly angled boss 40 which extends from the edge of the collar 36 to the sleeve surface. The boss includes a pair of upwardly extending lips 41 and 42 toward the upper end thereof and a second pair of lips 43 and 44 approximately adjacent the point where the boss merges with the outer surface. As will be more fully explained later, these lips provide locking surfaces for the electrical connector. Extending between lips 41 and 42 is a lateral ridge 45, and a similar lateral ridge 46 is located between lips 43 and 44. These ridges define a recess 47 in the boss.

The outer sleeve 32 is also a hollow cylindrical plastic non-conducting member of the same material as the inner sleeve. Essentially it is simply a straight tubular member and has a pair of inner locking grooves 48 and 49 designed to interengage the mating rings 38 and 39 of the inner sleeve. At one portion of the outer surface of the sleeve an upwardly angled hollow housing 50 extends almost to the end of the sleeve and has a generally mating configuration with the boss 41} of the inner sleeve. Extending across the interior of the housing is a groove 51 and adjacent this is a lateral ridge 52 having lips 53 and 54 extending inwardly toward the center of the sleeve. The groove, the ridge, and the lips thus assist in holding the electrical fitting in place.

The electrical fitting 33 consists of a rectangular block 55 in which prongs 5'6 and 57 are embedded. These prongs are metal and form the electrical contacts with the mating portion of the electrical system. Extending around the block 55 is a larger rectangular block 58 and extending adjacent this block is a smaller block 59. Electrical wires 60 and 61 are fastened to the embedded ends of prongs 56 and 57, and extend beyond block 59. The free ends of these wires are attached to the electrical wires of the conduit by means of clinching clips 62 and 63. It can be seen that the connector is designed to interengage with both inner and outer sleeves and this interengagement occurs by means of the steps described below.

First, the end of the conduit 12 is passed inside the outer sleeve 32 and rotated aroundthe outside of inner sleeve 31 so that the wires 13 and 14 interengage to guide lugs 35 to form a screw type connection between inner sleeve and hose. Then free ends of the reinforcing wires of the conduit are brought out from the tube and attached to the wires 60 and 61 of the connector by means of clips 62 and 63. The connector is then placed into the boss 40 of the inner sleeve in such a manner that the larger block 58 is lodged within the reces 4'7 and is wedged therein. The block 58 is further gripped tightly in that position by means of the lips 41, 42, 43, and 44; at the same time the lips 41 and 42 grip the sides of block 55, and lips 43 and 44 grip the sides of the block 59' to assist in the gripping arrangement. The prongs 56 and 57 thus have a lateral relationship. The internal sleeve, fitting, and hose are now pushed back into the outer sleeve to interengage the entire assembly, primarily by interlocking locking rings 38 and 39 of the inner sleeve with grooves 4% and 49 of the outer sleeve. At the same time the free portion of the fitting 33 wedges into the interior of housing 50 of the outer sleeve; the block 58 wedges within the groove 51, while the block 55 is gripped between lips 53 and 54. A hard snap of the members thus causes the assembly to lock together.

Thus it may be seen that by means of the present invention a vacuum cleaner hose assembly has been devised in which the end connectors are used for coupling both the vacuum and the electrical systems. In this assembly the outer and inner sleeves combine to lock the electrical connector therebetween and remove the strain from this connector.

This invention is not limited by the specific details shown, but is meant to include other specific embodiments falling within the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a vacuum cleaner hose assembly including a vacuum hose having a plurality of electrical conductors incorporated therein, the improvement comprising a connector at one end of the hose consisting of an inner and and an outer sleeve and an electrical fitting; said inner sleeve having an outwardly angled boss having at least two pairs of lips on its surface with transverse ridges therebetween, said ridges defining a groove; said outer sleeve having a similarly outwardly angled hollow member having an inwardly extending pair of lips and a transverse groove at the inner surface thereof, said member enveloping and generally mating with said boss; the grooves of said inner and outer sleeves opposite each other and the lips of said outer member opposite a pair of lips of said inner member, said lips and grooves cooperating to grip said fitting.

2. In a vacuum cleaner hose assembly including a vacuum hose having a plurality of electrical conductors incorporated therein, the improvement comprising a connector at one end of the hose consisting of an inner and an outer sleeve and an electrical fitting, said sleeves including lateral locking means jointly holding said fitting in place between said sleeves to provide a structural support therefor, said inner sleeve having a boss extending angularly outward from its periphery, said boss having a plurality of lips on its outer surface for gripping said fitting.

3. In a vacuum cleaner hose assembly including a vacuum hose having a plurality of electrical conductors incorporated therein, the improvement comprising a connector at one end of the hose consisting of an inner and an outer sleeve and an electrical fitting, said sleeves incl-uding laterallocking means jointly holding said fitting in place between said sleeves to provide a structural support therefor, said inner sleeve having a boss extending angularly outward from its periphery having at least two pairs of parallel and opposite lips, a transverse ridge between each pair of lips, said ridges defining a groove therebetween, said lips, [ridges and groove all cooperating to a grip a portion of said fitting.

4. In a vacuum cleaner hose assembly including a vacuum hose having a plurality of electrical conductors incorporated therein, the improvement comprising a connector at one end of the hose consisting of an inner and an outer sleeve and an electrical fitting, said sleeves including lateral locking means jointly holding said fitting in place between said sleeves to provide a structural support therefor, said outer sleeve having a hollow member extending angularly outward having a pair of lips and a transverse groove on its inner surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 90 Smellie Mar. 2, 1937 ,989 Kitto June 4, 1940 Pauler et al. May 8, 1962 

2. IN A VACUUM CLEANER HOSE ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A VACUUM HOSE HAVING A PLURALITY OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS INCORPORATED THEREIN, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A CONNECTOR AT ONE END OF THE HOSE CONSISTING OF AN INNER AND AN OUTER SLEEVE AND AN ELECTRICAL FITTING, SAID SLEEVES INCLUDING LATERAL LOCKING MEANS JOINTLY HOLDING SAID FITTING IN PLACE BETWEEN SAID SLEEVES TO PROVIDE A STRUCTURAL SUPPORT THEREFOR, SAID INNER SLEEVE HAVING A BOSS EXTENDING ANGULARLY OUTWARD FROM ITS PERIPHERY, SAID BOSS HAVING A PLURALITY OF LIPS ON ITS OUTER SURFACE FOR GRIPPING SAID FITTING. 